Updated EpiPen

A newly designed EpiPen launched in pharmacies across Canada in April.

The popular epinephrine auto-injector has been given a makeover to make it extremely user-friendly. The new EpiPen features larger, easy-to-read instructions and bright colours to differentiate the safety release and the needle tip. The latter also clearly states: “needle end”.

The auto-injector also has a new shape that’s easier to grip. Other features are a rugged plastic carrying tube with a flip-top cap for speedy access. Quite ingenious is the orange tip that appears to cover the needle after the drug has been administered. (Though the spent needle is covered, there is a clear panel which will allow you to see that the liquid drug has been administered.)

The adult and junior devices contain the same amount of epinephrine as previously, and it’s administered to the outer mid-thigh the same way as the current EpiPen. Price is also unchanged.

The new auto-injector is also available in drugstores in the United States. – Staff

Editors’ Review: We closely reviewed the key features of the new EpiPen and are impressed. It should eliminate any errors some individuals made in the past with trying to inject the safety end – and releasing the drug into the hand. The flatter shape of the pen feels more comfortable in the hand than the old model, which will make it easy to administer. The new package directions are so obvious and explicit that, in an emergency, even a person who’d never seen an auto-injector before could easily administer the new EpiPen.